Fire-escape



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D.7F.BLAOK.

, FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Apr. 3, 1883.

I III y 8 IN N" I 1 1 Y Ill (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3, I

. D. F. BLACK.

FIRE BSGAPE. No. 275,121. Patented Apr.3, 1883.

I WITNESSES: INVBNTOR: 7 fawf WWW BY j ATTORNEYS.

. 5 Sheets-Sheet 4. D. F. BLACK.

FIRE ESGAPE.

(No Model.)

Pa. tented Apr. 3, 1883.-

VENTOR BY dawn v0 ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.)

D. F. BLACK.

FIRE ESCAPE.

5 Sheets-Shaet 5 Patented Apr. 3, 1883.

N. PETER$ Phmwuxio m mr, Washingluvx n. c.

INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

DAVID F. BLACK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND- THOMAS FOLDBERG, OF PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. $375,121, dated April 3, 1883.

Application filed November 9, 1882. (No model.)

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID F. BLACK, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which the following is afull,

clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved fire-escape which can be adjusted at various heights, and which is provided with side bridges which can be extended to the windows of the houses; and to this end it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

r Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a longitudinal elevation of the fire-escape, showing it erected. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, showing it erected and the side bridges swung out and the extensions drawn out. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal elevation of the same, showing it lowered and 2 swung in the horizontal position. Fig. 4. is a plan view of the wagon-platform on which the extensible ladder is pivoted, the ladder being removed. Fig.5is an enlarged detail sectional elevation of. the same on the line .r :10, Fig. 4,

0 showing the latch and the windlasses, Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation ofthe base section of the extensible ladder, ,the' second section being shown partly raised within the base section. Fig. 7 is a sectional planview 5 of-the base section of the ladder on the line y y, Fig. 8, the swinging bridge being shown raised or swung upward. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the base section of the extensible ladder, the swinging bridge being shown in section.

The extension-ladder is formed of three sections, A, A and A of which the section A is the base section, into which the section A passes, and the section A passes into the sec- 5 tion A It desired, the ladder may be formed of more than three sections. At the middle of its length the base section, A, is provided on opposites sides, atone of thelongitudinal edges, with pivots a, which pivots are journaled in the upper ends of standards B on a wagonplatform, B, on which pivots the said base section can swing. When the ladder is notin use it is in a horizontal position, and the upper end of the base section rests on the upper end of a standard, B on the wagon-platform B. At its upper end, and on the side which faces downward when the ladder-section A is in a horizontal position, I have provided a headed stud, b, which passes into a recess, 1), in the top of the standard B and is locked in position by a forked bolt, D which can be moved longitudinally by means of suitable levers pivoted to the same, whereby the upper end ofthe base section, A, can be locked on the upper end of the standard B A rod, 0, arranged for projecting from the top of the standard B is attached to a handlever, c, pivoted to an arm of the standard B The said rod 0 and the lever c are used to throw the upper end of the base section, A, upward when the ladder is to be swung from a horizontal position, or, in other words, to start the ladder. The upper end of the standard B is recessed, so as to conform to the contour of the cross-section of the base section, A, and to prevent lateral movement of the upper end of the said base section of the ladder when the same is in a horizontal position. I have also provided springs c in the upper end of the standard B for the purpose of assisting in throwing the upper end of the base ladder-section, A, upward. An arm, 0, pro jects from that side of the base ladder-section, A, which is downward when the base section, j is in the horizontal position, and to the outer end of the said arm a cable, rope, orchain, O, is attached, which passes overa pulley, c and is wound on a Windlass-drum, 0 within the standard B and provided with a crank-handle, G. A rope, chain, or cable, 1), is attached to a ring or loop, 1), at the lower end of the same surface of the base ladder-section, A,' from which the arm 0 projects, and the said rope 1) passes over the pulley c and a pulley, c, and is wound on a Windlass-drum, D provided with a eran k-handle, D The lower end of the surface of that side of the base laddersection A which is at the top when the section is in the horizontal position is rounded off or beveled, and is provided with an aperture, (1,

the horizontal position, the bolt (1 must first be withdrawn from the aperture d by means of the lever (1 which is connected with the sliding bolt (1. Ropes or chains E are attached to the lower ends of the ladder-section A and pass over pulleys F, journaled near the upper end of the section A, the lower ends of which ropes are attached to Windlass-drums G, provided with ratchet-wheels H and crank-handles I, one Windlass being provided at each of two opposite sides of the section A. By winding the cables E on the windlass-drum G the ladder-section A is raised. In the same manner the ladder-section A can be raised out of the section A by means of similar windlasses. The ladder-section A is provided on opposite sides with rack-bars J, having downwardlyprojecting teeth, against which pawl-bolts J are pressed by springs J which pawl-bolts are provided with upwardly-projecting handles J projecting from the top of the laddersection A, by means of which handles the pawl-bolts can be withdrawn to permit of lowering the ladder-section A A spring-pawl, K, rests against the teeth of each ratchet-wheel H, and can be pressed from the sameby means ofa hand-lever, K, pivoted to the side ofthe base ladder-section, A. The pawls K automatically lock the Windlassdrums in position; but when the sections are lowered the spring-pawls must be disengaged from the ratchet-wheels H to permit the crankhandles I to rotate in the inverse direction. This is accomplished by drawing the upper ends of the levers K in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 2. The upper ladder-sections, A and A are also provided with like devices, and are also provided with rack-bars J.

The ladder-sections A and A are provided with two ladders, M, on the sides that are at right angles to the house from which the persons are to be rescued, and the topmost sec tion is provided with two ladders, M M, which are partly on the sides parallel with the house and partly on the sides at right angles to the same. In place of these ladders, circular staircases or circular ladders can be provided, and,

if desired, the said staircases or ladders may.

be provided with rope handles to prevent the persons being saved from falling.

The base ladder-section, A, is provided on each side which is parallel with the side ofthe house from which the people are to be rescued or, in other words, parallel with the horizontal sides of the wagon-frame-with a longitudinal recess, 0, adapted to receive aswin gin g bridge,

P, which is pivoted in the said recess at the upper end of the base ladder-section, A, which bridge is adapted to swing upward and outward from the lower part of the base laddersection, A, its turning-point being atthe upper part of the base ladder-section. Two bars, P, which are pivoted to the under side of the bridge P, about one-third of the length of the bridge from the side of the base ladder-section, A, have their lower ends pivoted on crankarnis Q on a horizontal transverse shaft, R, journaled in the section A, parallel with the longitudinal side of the wagon-frame, which shaft R is provided with a crank-handle, B. When the bridge P is folded within the recess the, crank-arms Q of the shaft R project downward and rest flat against the base of the recess O, and the arms Palso rest flat against the baseof the recess 0. If the crank-handle It is turned to project upward, the crank-arm Q will be swung upward on a half-circle until it again rests on the base of the recess 0 in the position shown in Figs. 2and 8. The rods P are also swung upward and swing the bridge P upward into a horizontal position. The weight of the bridge causes the said rods P to press the crank Q. against the base of the recess 0, whereby the movement of the crank in the reverse direction of the arrow a (see Fig. 2) is prevented, and as its movement in the direction of the arrow is prevented by the weight of the bridge, it will be held in this position until the said bridge is raised, the rods P thus forming a brace to hold the bridge P in the horizontal position.

The bridge P is provided with a longitudinally sliding central extension section, S, which is suitably guided and held by tongues and grooves in the bridge P, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The bridge P and the extension S are provided with railings, preferably made of ropes and upright rods, as shown in Fig. 2. Two ropes or cables, T, are attached to the in nor end of the extension-section S of the bridge P and pass over horizontal pulleys T, near the outer end of the bridge P, and from there pass through suitable grooves in the said bridge P over the pulleys T mounted on the pivot of the bridge P. Arope or cable, U, also attached to the inner end of the sliding extension-section S, passes directly from the inner end of the said section S over a pulley, T The ropes or cablesT and U are attached to drums U, mounted on a shaft, V, provided with a crank'handle, V. The ropes are attached to and wound'on the drums in opposite directionsthat is, when the ropes T are wound on the drums the rope U is unwound,.and, vice versa, when the rope U is wound on the drum the ropes T are unwound. turning the crank-shaft V in such a direction that the ropes T are wound on the drums the innerend ofthe sliding extension section S will be moved toward the outer end of the bridge P- that is, the sliding section will be projected from the end of the bridge P. By turning the crank V in the inverse direction the rope U is wound on the drum and the ropes T are unwound and sliding section S is drawn into the bridge P. The base section, A, is provided For instance, by

7 upper end upward.

with projecting platforms or balconies W for the attendants who turn the crank-handle R. The sectionsA and A are provided withswingin g bridges P and sliding extension-sections S in the same manner-as has just been described. The upper ends of the ladd er-sections are preferably provided with railings to prevent the attendants and others from falling.

The operation is as follows: When not in use the fire-escap'eis held in ahorizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3, and in this position it is transported to the fire and is properly located in front of the building. Then the headed stud b is released from the latch-bolt b the lever 0 is pressed downward at its outer end to cause the rod 0 to throw the upper end of the ladder-section A upward, and then the cable I) is wound on the windlass-drum W, whereby the base ladder-section, A, will be swunginto a vertical position, the lower end of the base laddersection swinging downward and the The latch-bolt (1 automatically snapsinto the aperture 611 in the lower end of the base ladder-section, A, and locks the same in a vertical position. Then the sections A and A are raised by winding the several ropes or cables E on the windlasses G G.

According to the height of the building from which persons are to be rescued, the fire-escape must be elevated more or less. If persons are to be rescued from a building, oneor more of the bridges P are swung upward and outward toward the building, and if they are not of snflicient length to reach the building the sliding extensions S are projected from the ends of the bridges, in the manner previously described, until the ends of the said extensions rest on the windowsills, cornices, or copings of the building. The persons'to be rescued can then pass from the building over the extensions S and the bridges P to the fire-escape and can climb down the ladders of the same to the ground. Then, if the tire-escape is to be lowered, the extensions S are drawn into the bridges P, the bridges are swung down into the recesses O, and theladder-sections are successively lowered. Then the bolt (1 is withdrawn, and by winding the rope G on the windlass-drum O the base ladder-section, A, is swunginto the horizontal position, with its end resting on the standard B.

I am aware that a series of telescopic laddersections has heretofore been employed; and I having sliding extensions pivoted in the said recesses, and means, substantially as herein shown and described,for withdrawing the section from the said bridges and supporting the bridges in a horizontal position, as set forth.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a series of telescopic ladder-sections, of swinging bridges, and of rods pivoted to the under sides of the swinging bridges and to the ends of cranks on shafts in the sections of the lad der, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a ladder-section having a recess, 0, ofthe swinging bridge P and devices for swinging the bridge, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a ladder-section, of the bridge P, and the rods P, pivoted to the under side of the bridge and to the crank Q, of the shaft R, having a crankhandle, R, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

- 6. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a ladder-section, of a pivoted bridge, P, devices for swinging the same, the sliding section S in the said bridge, the ropes T and U, attached to the rear end of the section S, the pulleys Tand T the windlass-drums U, and the crank-shaft V, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the base ladder-section, A, of the ladder-section A fitting within the same, the ropes E, the pulleys F, the windlass-drums G, the rackbars J, the pawl-bolts J, the springs J and the handle levers J substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a ladder-section, of the swinging bridges P, pivoted to the same, the cranks Q, for swinging the said bridges, and of balconies W, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a telescopic ladder having pivots a, of the standards B B the arms 0, the ropes O and D, and the windlass 0 D substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

10. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a telescopic ladder pivoted on the standards B,

of the standard B containing a sliding latchbolt, b and of the headed stud b on the upper end of the base-section of the telescopic ladder, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

11. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a telescopic ladder pivoted on the standards B, tion of the ladder, and of the lever (2 for with- 10 of the standard 13, of the rod 0, and the lever drawing the bolt d, substantially as herein a, substantially as herein shown and described, shown and described, and for the purpose set and forthepurposeof starting theladder when forth. it is to be swung into vertical position.

12. In a fire-eseape, the combination, with a telescopic ladder pivoted on the standards B, Witnesses: of the sliding spring-bolt d, fitting within an A. SOULE,

DAVID F. BLACK.

aperture, (1, in the lower part of the base-sec- J. WARREN COLEMAN, Jr. 

